Creeper



E. ARlETl CREEPER Filed July 25, 1955 INVENTQR [2654f A/P/L'T/ TTORNEY Patented Dec. 31, 1935 CREEPER Eugene Arieti, Springfield, Mass.

Application July 25, 1935, Serial No. 33,098

3 Claims.

This invention relates to ice creepers of the type adapted to be applied to the heel of a boot or shoe.

One object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which may be easily and quickly removed when its use is not required or replaced when traveling conditions change.

A further object is to provide a device of such construction that it may be quickly adjusted to different sizes of heels.

A further object is to secure a more reliable attachment of the device to the heel.

Other and further objects residing in economies of manufacture and the details of construction will be apparent from the following specification and claims.

In the accompanying drawing,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the device in operative position on the heel of a boot.

Fig. 2 is a rear elevational view of the structure as shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view substantially on line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view substantially on line 4-6 of Fig. 2 showing the catch in released position; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view substantially on line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawing, the device is shown as comprising forward and rear plates I and 2 respectively, the plate I being bent at 3 to overlie plate 2, as viewed in Fig. 1, so that the under side of the plates may lie flat against the heel of a boot or shoe indicated at 5. The plates l and 2 are each provided with pairs of aligned slots indicated at 6 and l respectively. Headed rivets 8 carried by plate I extend through slots 1 of plate 2 and similar rivets 9 carried by plate 2 extend through slots 6 of plate I, to provide a length-wise adjustment of the plates to conform to varying sizes of heels. plates are held in adjusted position by engagement of the downwardly bent end I!) of a tongue ll, formed integral with plate I, in one of a plurality of slots l2, formed in plate 2. Any other suitable means of preserving the adjustment might be employed.

Plate 1 is provided at its forward end with a lug or tongue l5, apertured at I6 and positioned to extend over the breast edge of the heel. Plate 2 is provided with a projection in the form of spaced portions l1 and I8 extending over the rear edge of the heel and providing an open-ended slot between them. Plate 2 may be further pro- As shown the 7 vided with lugs [9 which engage the sides of the heel. 7

-'A band 20 formed of relatively flexible .metal and preferably stiffened by corrugations 2| surrounds the heel. The band is preferably made 5 in two sections, one section engaging the rear and. side portions of the heel and extending onto the breast portion, its ends being bent at right angles to form ears 22. A short section 23 provided with ears 24 is inserted between ears 22 and the band is tightly secured to the heel by bolts 25, passing through adjacent ears 22 and 24. Minor adjustment for heel size is taken care of by the length of the bolts and major size adjustment by substitution of a section for 23 of different length. The edges of the band may be provided with sharp projections 26 engaging in the walls of the heel if desired.

Section 23 is formed with a hook 28 over which aperture l3 of lug l5 engages to hold the forward edge of the device to the heel. Band 20 is provided with a headed stud or rivet 30 the shank of which engages in the slot 3| between members I! and I8 with the rivet head overlying the adjacent edges of said members as best shown in Fig. 2. A catch 32, pivoted to member l8 at 33, is adapted, after rivet is engaged in the slot to be swung from dotted line to full line position, Fig. 2, to hold the rivet in the slot and releasably secure the rear edge of the de- 30 vice to the heel. The outer edge of member IT is bent up as at to form a hook member 36, the point of which snaps into a depression or opening 31 formed in catch 32 (see Fig. 5) to hold the catch in closed position. Catch 32 is 35 sufiiciently resilient to spring over hook 36 when it is moved to or from closed position. A small handle 38 is provided to facilitate manipulation of the catch.

The plates l and 2 are provided with a plu- 40 rality of spikes 43 for engagement in ice or other slippery surface on which the device is used.

In. use the band 23 normally remains on the heel, at least during any extended period of use of the creeper- The spiked plateunit may be 45 quickly and easily removed by disengaging catch 32 to release the stud 30 whereupon the plate unit may be tipped up and disengaged from hook 28 in an obvious manner, and may, with equal ease be replaced by the reverse manipulation.

I claim:

1. A device of the character described which comprises a plate member adapted to be placed on the heel surface of a boot, the outer surface of said member being provided with a plurality of spikes, a band adapted to be tightly engaged about the heel of the boot, a hook and eye connection between said band and an edge of the plate member, and a releasable latch connection between said band and said plate member positioned diametrically opposite the said hook and eye connection.

2. A device of the character described which comprises a heel plate formed by a pair of overlapping plate members, a pin and slot connection between said members to permit adjustment of the size of the heel plate, means to releasably hold the plate members in adjusted position, a band adapted to be engaged around the heel to which the device is to be applied, a hook and eye connection between said band and heel plate at the instep side of the heel, a projection formed on the rear edge of the heel plate and provided with an open ended slot, a headed stud carried by the band and engageable in said slot when the heel plate is in position on the heel, and a pivoted latch carried by said projectionand engageable around the stud to hold the stud in the slot and the heel plate on the heel, and means to releasably hold the latch in closed position.

3. A device of the character described which comprises a heel plate formed by a pair of overlapping plate members, pin and slot connections between said members to permit adjustment of the size of the heel plate, a plurality of recesses formed in one plate member, a member adapted to be selectively engaged in any one of said recesses to retain the members in adjusted position, lugs formed on one of said. members to engage the sides of the heel to which the device is to be applied, an eye formed on the breast edge of the forward plate member, a projection formed on the rear edge of the rear plate member and 15 provided with an open ended slot, a band adapted to be tightly engaged around the heel, a hook carried by said band andadapted to engage in said eye, a headed stud carried by said band and engageable in said slot, and a latch carried by 20 said projection to releasably lock the stud in the slot. 7

EUGENE ARIETI. 

